Re: A puzzler (liability insurance)
Bob Amick (amick@SPOT.COLORADO.EDU)
Fri, 30 Jan 1998 14:30:01 -0500
Jim is correct. The liability insurance is written to cover "guests" which
would include
potential new members, friends, parents, et al, who are considered a part
of the
activity. Remember that the liability insurance provides primary
indemnification
to/for the unit leaders, committee, chartered organization/sponsor in the
event of a lawsuit resulting from injury, death or loss incurred by a
Scout, guest,
or other participant, whether they are currently registered with the unit
or not,
so long as it can be shown that their presence was for the purpose of being
involved with the unit activity in some capacity (recruiting new member,
support
of the activity as a resource, etc.).
If the actions of some member of a unit
caused injury, death, or loss to another unaffiliated person or
organization, insurance
would also indemnify the above named members of the unit/chartered
organization
if they were named as defendants in a lawsuit by the person or organization
suffering the loss.
(e.g., Scout Timmy Tenderfoot starts a campfire which gets away, starts a
grass fire, and
spreads to Mrs. Jones house next to the campground, and burns her house
down. If Mrs. Jones files
suit [vicarious liability] against Timmy, his parents, the Scout Troop,
Scout leaders, committee, and the Church that sponsors the troop, all would
be covered by the BSA liability insurance.)
The one major caveat of course is that the insurance is null and void if the
activity is on the "prohibited" list of BSA (e.g., hang-gliding, sky-diving,
ballooning, paint-ball games, etc.) Any unit that violates the "rules" by
participating in
those events is not covered by liability insurance.
As others have said, youth and adult members should be registered as soon
as possible, to
affirm their membership in the unit, and to guarantee insurance coverage,
but, again
as noted above, provisions exist to cover others as well.
Bob Amick, Explorer Advisor, High Adventure Explorer Post 72/SES 72,
Boulder, CO;
Longs Peak Council Exploring Training Chair
At 11:22 AM 1/30/98 -0700, you wrote:
>In message <34D15626.63921221@erols.com>, "Steven G. Tyler" said:
>>
>> First, NO unregistered, unaccompanied minor should EVER be on a Scouting
>> trip.
>This is not totally true. BSA insurance covers registered members as well as
>prospective scouts attending for "recruiting purposes." >
Terry Howerton Sakima Group, Inc. SCOUTER Magazine Kansas City |
